South Carolina SCDMV Motorcycle Practice Test 17
- Questions30
- Correct to pass24
- Passing score80%
- Minimum age15 years
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1. What do white lane lines painted between travel lanes indicate?
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Answer A: Traffic in the adjacent lane moves in the same direction as you
White markings separate lanes carrying traffic in the same direction and mark the right edge of the roadway.
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2. You want to turn right from a lane marked for through traffic and right turns, and the driver behind you wants to go straight. What should you do?
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Answer C: Signal, stay in the lane and make the turn when it is safe
A shared lane is the correct place to turn right from, so signal early and turn from the lane; the driver behind must wait or use another lane.
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3. How long should a rider stay in the oncoming lane while passing?
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Answer D: Only as long as completing the pass safely requires
Every extra second in the oncoming lane is exposure with no benefit, so the rider passes decisively and returns as soon as the road behind is clear.
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4. The left-turn signal facing you shows a flashing yellow arrow. What does it mean?
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Answer C: You may turn left after yielding to oncoming traffic and to pedestrians
A flashing yellow arrow permits a left turn but gives no protection, so you must yield to oncoming vehicles and to people in the crosswalk.
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5. What minimum suspension applies in South Carolina to a driver who takes the test and registers 0.15 percent or more?
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Answer D: At least one month, with an ignition interlock option to end it
The implied consent notice states that a reading of fifteen one-hundredths of one percent or more brings a suspension of at least one month, which may be ended by enrolling in the Ignition Interlock Device Program.
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6. A flagger turns the paddle to the orange face reading SLOW. What does that tell approaching drivers?
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Answer D: Reduce speed and continue through the work area with care
The SLOW face keeps traffic moving at a reduced speed while workers or equipment are close to the travel lanes.
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7. What does black ice usually look like from the driver seat?
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Answer C: A patch of pavement that simply looks wet or slightly glossy
Black ice is clear, so you see the dark road through it and read it as a wet patch. In freezing weather, treat any wet looking patch as ice.
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8. A group in formation needs to change lanes. What is the safest way to do it?
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Answer A: The leader starts the change early enough for the whole group to complete it
Beginning the change early gives the entire formation the road and the time it needs to move over together instead of scattering across two lanes.
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9. A helmet falls from the seat onto a hard floor but shows no cracks. What should the owner do?
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Answer C: Replace it or have it checked, because the liner can be crushed inside
The foam liner can be compressed with no outside sign, and crushed foam will not absorb a second impact, so a helmet that has taken a hard knock should be replaced.
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10. You are stopped in South Carolina and cannot show proof of insurance. What does SCDMV say happens next?
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Answer B: You have 30 days to provide proof, which may avoid a license suspension
SCDMV states that a driver ticketed for failing to show proof has 30 days to provide it, and doing so may avoid a driver license suspension that otherwise costs 100 dollars to reinstate.
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11. A vehicle ahead of you displays a reflective orange triangle on its rear. What does that emblem tell you?
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Answer B: The vehicle is built to travel at 25 mph or less
The orange triangle is the slow moving vehicle emblem used on farm and construction equipment designed for 25 mph or less, warning you that you are closing on it much faster than it appears.
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12. A traffic light ahead of the group turns yellow as the leader approaches it. What should the leader do?
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Answer C: Stop normally and let the group be split by the signal
Keeping the group together never outranks obeying the signal, and the riders left behind simply catch up at the next stop.
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13. The queue for an exit ramp has backed up into the right lane of the highway. What should you do if you want that exit?
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Answer B: Join the back of the queue in the lane instead of cutting in later
Passing a queue and forcing in at the front stops the whole line, and using the shoulder puts you where broken-down vehicles are expected to be.
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14. A square sign with a red field, a wide white horizontal bar and the words DO NOT ENTER tells a driver that
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Answer B: the roadway ahead must not be entered from that point
The do not enter sign is posted at the end of a one-way roadway or ramp to keep traffic from driving into it against the flow.
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15. A sign at the curb reads Tow-Away Zone. What does it mean for you?
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Answer C: That a vehicle left there can be removed at the owner's expense
In a tow-away zone the vehicle can be removed immediately and the owner pays the towing and storage charges to get it back.
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16. What is the lowest speed limit a South Carolina local authority may set outside an urban district after an engineering and traffic investigation?
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Answer B: 35 miles per hour
Section 56-5-1540(a)(3) prevents a local authority from decreasing the limit outside an urban district below 35 miles per hour.
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17. An obstacle appears ahead and you can see there is no room left to stop before it. What should you do?
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Answer D: Swerve around it
Once the distance is too short to stop, changing direction is the only option left, and a motorcycle can change direction faster than it can stop.
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18. Without a depth gauge, how can a rider tell that a tire has worn out?
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Answer A: The tread has worn down level with the wear bars set into the grooves
Wear bars are molded across the bottom of the tread grooves, and once the tread surface reaches them the tire has no usable depth left.
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19. How should a passenger swing their leg when getting off the motorcycle?
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Answer D: High and clear of the exhaust and the rear of the machine
A leg dragged low across the back of the motorcycle can catch the seat or the luggage and will find the hot exhaust, so it is lifted well clear.
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20. Under South Carolina's emergency scene management law, who has authority over an emergency scene until fire or law enforcement officials arrive?
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Answer D: The first-arriving emergency personnel, including emergency medical services personnel
Section 56-5-1538(C) gives authority over the scene to the first-arriving emergency personnel until fire or law enforcement takes over.
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21. Your green left-turn arrow goes out and a steady green ball stays lit. What may you do?
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Answer A: Continue turning left, but only after yielding to oncoming traffic
When the arrow ends and a green ball remains, the turn changes from protected to permissive, so it is still allowed but oncoming traffic goes first.
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22. Why is being predictable an important part of driving safely?
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Answer A: Because other road users are able to plan around what you are doing
Other drivers make their decisions from what they expect you to do, so surprises are what produce collisions.
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23. The lights at a highway-rail grade crossing begin to flash red as you approach. What must you do?
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Answer B: Stop short of the tracks and wait until the lights stop and no train is near
Flashing red lights at a crossing require a stop clear of the tracks, and you may proceed only once the lights have stopped, any gates are fully raised and no train is approaching.
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24. You have turned right into the nearest lane but you need the left lane soon. When should you move over?
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Answer A: After the turn is finished, once you have checked mirrors and blind spot
Complete the turn in the proper lane first, then make a normal lane change with mirror and blind spot checks once you are established on the new street.
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25. What is the minimum age at which South Carolina will issue a moped operator's license?
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Answer A: 15 years old
Section 56-1-1720(A) lets the department issue a moped operator's license to a person who is fifteen or older.
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26. A school sign paired with a plaque showing a diagonal downward-pointing arrow is installed
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Answer D: at the school crossing itself, or as close to it as possible
The diagonal downward arrow points at the crossing, so this assembly is placed at the crossing location rather than in advance of it.
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27. You face a red light at an intersection that has no stop line and no marked crosswalk. Where must you stop?
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Answer C: Before entering the intersection
With no line and no crosswalk, the stopping point is the near edge of the intersecting roadway, close enough to see cross traffic but clear of it.
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28. At night you are judging your distance from the rider ahead by their tail light. What is the risk?
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Answer A: A single small light gives a poor sense of how far away it really is
Distance is very hard to judge from one small light in the dark, so riders should leave extra space rather than trust the impression the light gives.
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29. How should you follow a school bus in traffic?
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Answer A: Far enough back to see its lights and stop in time
A school bus stops often and with little warning, so a longer following distance gives you time to see the lights come on and stop clear of it.
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30. What does the solid white line running along the right side of a highway mark?
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Answer A: The right edge of the traveled way
A solid white edge line shows where the traveled way ends on the right, which is particularly useful at night and in poor visibility.